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colbydoesartz · 25 days ago

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LEO'S GENDER REVEAL

Price comic for winning the first round of @tmntaucompetition !

COLORCODED TMNT ITERATION

WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT ? CHECK IT OUT BELOW :D

When April returned from the bathroom, battle outfit off, and the dreaded fake breasts that started this mess back on, Leo was nowhere to be seen.

It wasn’t really surprising. But it was worrying. The common room was empty of any presence, including the pets. But, there was a trail. From the front door to the corridor that led to the boys’ rooms, discarded battle gear littered the ground.

And April was stressed. When April is stressed, she cleans things. She picked them up and gently put them on a table, folded neatly, separated by colors.

“Leo, come on man ! This is ridiculous, just open the door !”

Anyone who wasn’t used to Raph would think he was angry. The tone was sharp and calm, and the constant pounding of his fist against Leo’s door probably wouldn’t help. But Raph wasn’t mad. No, he was frustrated, and worried.

Leo and Raph always sought each other for comfort, and even when they didn’t, the other would come comfort them.

To Raph, not being able to get into the room and give his twin a hug or distract him from what was bothering him, not being able to make sure he was okay… It was torture.

April wasn’t surprised when she stepped in the corridor, to see Raph’s scrunched up face in worry, constantly fidgeting, scratch marks all over his forearm. He paced in front of Leo’s room, shaking his hands with energy, suddenly stopping to pound on the door some more, and resuming when he doesn’t get an answer.

Casey, Donnie and Mikey were sitting next to the door, while Meets leaned against the opposite wall. Splinter was with them, quietly catching up on what happened and why they had to cancel patrol for the night.

Donnie was tapping away on his phone, clearly opening and closing the same app over and over again. Mikey was leaning against him, struggling to keep his eyes open, but doing his best to jolt awake whenever his eyelids dropped too low. Casey leaned on the wall on the other side, occasionally whispering something to him that Donnie would answer just as low.

April went to Raph.

“I’m surprised you haven’t kicked the door down yet. I’d thought you would all be inside.”

“We would,” Answered Donnie, effectively jolting Mikey awake for the 5th time, “but when we tried to get in, he threw pillows at us until we were far enough for him to lock the door.”

‘Plus, we don’t want Donnie to be the one that has to fix the door later’ Supplied Meets.

“But why isn’t he answering ? He should at least be answering, right ? What if he hurt himself ? We should go in-”

April slowly crept even closer to Raph, who couldn’t get his eyes off the door. She reached out to his fidgeting hands but stopped an inch or two before touching. Without sparing a glance, Raph breached the gap and held her hands tight.

“He should have answered. Why isn’t he answering, Pril ?”

His hands were a bit awkward to hold onto, as he had now started to bounce on his heels, unable to keep still until he was able to check on his twin.

Raph finally looked at her and she sighed.

She gently rubbed his hands in a slow circle motion.

“Let me try, okay ?”

Still holding one of his hand to anchor him -despite the bouncing-, April knocked on Leo’s door.

“Hey, Leo ? It’s April, can I come in ?”

“...”

“Just me, Lee. Just me.”

A beat passed, and the faintest of click resonated in the quiet corridor. Raph instinctively rushed forward, but Splinter put a soft hand on his shoulder to hold him back.

“If Leonardo wants to see just April, my son, let him see just her for now.”

“But… Dad, he’s-”

“He’s confused and hurting and needs someone, and that someone is April. Once he feels better, we’ll all be able to see him, is that okay ?”

Raph looked over to the slightly open door, then to April that had still yet to let go of his hand. He reached over with his free hand to his forearm but Splinter gently took it before he could scratch himself. His dad offered a soft smile, gently patting his hand.

Raph let the tension leave his body, sagging like a rag doll.

“Fine, yeah...”

April gave a smile of her own and after one last squeeze, entered Leo’s room, closing the door behind her.

The room was a mess. It was already a wonder she was able to see it’s mess, considering how dark it was. The only light was coming from under the door, and some blue fairy lights she didn’t think Leo knew how to turn off.

The room was filled with destroyed wigs that she had never seen before, but that were probably gorgeous before they were ripped apart, dresses that came straight from a designer closet, with some intricate patterns and embroideries that must have taken hours to make now gone to rags thanks to some randomly placed scissors cut.

Makeup stained the floors, a lipstick that was crushed by someone’s heel, a powder that spilled all over the carpet…

April cautiously stepped around the mess, sitting on the bed next to a curled up Leonardo relatively unscathed.

He hadn’t even looked up, didn’t bother twitching as she sat beside him.

“What’s all this ?”

April worried for a moment, that she shouldn’t have spoken. Maybe all he wanted was some company, not to talk about it. As the seconds passed and no answer came, but Leo didn’t kick her out, she relaxed, gently leaning onto him. If he just wanted company, then she’d give him that.

“I don’t know. My inner girl that was trying to come out before I knew it I guess.”

Leo had looked up to the mess, his snout still buried in his arms, the slightest hint of eyes shiny from tears peeking out. April didn’t know what to say to that. She never really saw Leo wearing any of these, none of his usual dresses were in the mix. He seemed mad at something he did, but that was something she didn’t know about.

But she did come here to help, and if Leo was engaging, maybe he wanted an answer ? What answer could she give ?

“Ooooookay ?”

“I’m not a girl.”

Well, that seemed to work.

“No, you’re not.”

Finally, he looked at her, and April couldn’t help thinking about how his twin acted exactly the same only moments prior.

She smiled, gently pulling him closer to her until his cheek was almost squashed against her knees. Her big brother had always loved tight physical affection, and this time was no different as he instantly relaxed against her.

“You’re a boy, always been a boy. You’re Leo, you use he/him pronouns, and you say you’re a boy. So you are. You just… happened to be a boy without the dangly bits.”

The turtle let out a dry snicker, amused by her synonym. She couldn’t see the bottom of his face yet, as his eyes that had a spark of amusement dulled again, but she hoped he smiled, at least a little.

“I-it’s not the same.”

“Okay. Do you think I’m less of a girl because I do have dangly bits ?”

“What ? No ! Of course not !”

“Then why do you think you’re less of a boy than you were yesterday ?”

Leonardo grows quiet at that. His defensive position was gone, and he was playing with one of her sleeves, his eyes drifting somewhere else as he thought of the answer. April was rubbing slow circles on his shell, chin resting on top of his head, patiently waiting.

He already seemed less distressed than before. Talking about it, putting it into words, and more importantly, having his gender reaffirmed were some important steps to take. She knew he picked her specifically to take these steps because her experience was probably the closest to his, even if it wasn’t exactly the same.

“I thought… I thought I was… normal. I guess.”

April froze, and pushed him away just enough to look at him dead in the eyes.

“Leo. I love you, you’re my brother. But there’s nothing normal about you.”

He blinked a few times, and then realization and frustration fell on his face. He threw his hands in the air in such a childish way April couldn’t contain the giggles that bubbled up.

“I know, it’s not that ! It’s- UGH ! I don’t know how to explain it.”

He crossed his arms and pouted and April pulled him back into the side hug. Quickly, his tension left and he melted like he always did when presented with physical affection.

Leo was quiet for a bit longer than before, thinking, trying to put words into his feelings, and April was happy to let him do so. The silence was familiar, comfortable, and more at ease. Not still quite relaxed, but close to it. They weren’t far to breaking down the last point Leo felt uncomfortable with.

Although it’d be better if done quickly, as she could see that Raph pacing had resumed, and were getting more frantic the longer they were in there without any information given to the outside.

Oh Leo was not getting out of Raph’s hug.

“I’m not- I’m not trans.”

It was quiet, almost muttered, and if the room was completely silent, April would have missed it. Like he was embarrassed, or ashamed to say it. Or he was scared of the answer.

“Of course you aren’t.”

He glanced up at her, eyes big and wide and confused. Like it wasn’t a possibility. Like he was doomed with a label that felt bad and uncomfortable.

“I’m not…?”

“If you don’t want to be trans, Leo, then you’re not. It’s not as complicated as everyone makes it out to be. They’re just words. If you don’t want that label, then it’s not yours. Cis Leonardo who happens to not have dangly bits, why not !”

The turtle contemplated that for a minute, letting the words sink in.

“So… I’m not trans.”

“Do you want to be ?”

“No ! I-I mean… no. No. I don’t want to.”

“It all comes down to this you know. Everything. What do you want to do, or be ? As long as it doesn’t hurt you or others, you can do anything. You can be a vigilante. You can make art on walls, you can dress funny in public, carry a plushie… Does it hurt you or someone else ? No ? Then who cares.”

They sat in silence a little bit longer, enjoying each other presence.

The last of the tension had left, and April could already feel Leo preparing to face the rest of the family, whether it’d be from the quick glance at the door, or the occasional twitch, like he was about to move but decided against it at the last second.

The turtle was fully pressed against her, soaking in the physical affection, taking it in and changing it into bravery to answer the questions of his siblings and explain how he felt about it.

April was happy to provide.

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